March 2017 Executive Director's Blog

Clockwise: CRMCA and NRMCA staff at the March 23 BWS Training; CRMCA President Rich Umbel with Annelise Shepherd and Todd Ohlheiser as they accept the State Association of the Year Award during the NRMCA Annual Conference; CRMCA staff proudly display the NRMCA Association of the Year Award.

Welcome to this month’s blog! As we now enter Quarter 2 for 2017 there is a lot going on with CRMCA. Here are a few highlights.

We remain very active at the state Capitol as we work through the current Legislative Session. Our meetings occur Monday mornings in the Capitol basement to discuss pending legislation, and then we update membership on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month during the session. Our next and last member update for 2017 is April 19^th. Information is available on the CRMCA calendar.
Speaking of the Legislative Session, bipartisan bill (HB17-1242) has been working it’s way through the House regarding infrastructure funding. The bill was passed on the House floor yesterday and will move to the senate next. This bill puts forward a Referred Measure for the November ballot. It allows voters across the state to decide if they are fed up with existing road conditions and are willing to do something about it. CRMCA and our partners of CCA, CSSGA, ACPA and CAPA continue to be involved and support the measure. As mentioned before, our broader coalition of FixItCO continues to expand with stakeholders across the state. Get up to the minute reports by following the #FixItCO team on Twitter and Facebook.
Another exciting initiative is our launch of the “Build with Strength” program in support and alliance with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). This program is specifically designed to compete against the wood industry for low to mid rise buildings. Concrete structures built with concrete are safer and more durable than wood, and thanks to innovations, they are now also cost competitive. The launch included a roll out and educational session held March 23^rd at the Pinehurst Country Club in Lakewood which was attended by approximately 80 people. NRMCA President, Bob Garbini, and staff members Patrick Matsche and Brett Ruffing were on hand to address the educational portion of the launch. Immediately following the education, work groups were formed to determine ways to integrate this program into the fiber of our association. This process will be repeated in Grand Junction on April 18^th for our Western Slope members. This is very exciting and we are pleased to embrace this program and directly compete with the wood industry. I need to thank Oliver Brooks with Martin Marietta and Dana Rotkovich with Bestway Concrete for their active rolls in making this happen. Learn more at buildwithstrength.com and contact CRMCA staff to get involved locally!
Additionally, our Adherence to Concrete Standards Program is currently being re-launched with the improvements requested from our members. The questions have been reworked, a new app is undergoing testing for iPhone and Android devices and is expected to be launched very soon. I encourage use of the program to help build stronger alliances with labs and testing agencies, with the goal of improving the concrete industry overall.
Lastly, as a show of support for our recent success, I am pleased to say that CRMCA was awarded the “2016 NRMCA State Association of the Year”. I can personally tell you, there are many, many strong state associations, so to be recognized as the top performer is humbling. This is simply a reminder of the efforts put forth by all our members, to drive actions though our committees and other programs. So while I certainly need to congratulate our strong staff members (including Stacy Ehrlick who was with us till mid 2016), I want to also congratulate you, the members, for being recognized as leaders among the concrete industry on a National level.
I encourage you to review our upcoming events. There are many seminars, webinars, ACI sessions, and other events available. It is with your participation and engagement that makes CRMCA a success. Please contact us if there is anything we can do. Thanks again for the support of your concrete association.